Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

MikeA

MikeA

New member
I have a alder body 2001 American Tele. A while back I routed out the bridge position for a humbucker. The guitar plays and feels great and I am really happy with my clean tone from the neck PU, but latey I have not been satisfied with my Custom in the bridge slot.

So far I have tried the JB, Custom, and 59'. None have seemed to work out for me. I suppose the main thing that has bothered me is the lack of definition and clarity when I play out.

The custom when playing alone rocks pretty hard and I really enjoy it. But it has little clairity when it is put in the mix.

I need an "in your face", no nonsense rock tone.

I play a mesa boogie single rect. that is re-biased with el-34s. I realize I don't exactly have the clearest amp to start with but at this point i don't have the cash/time to be without an amp in order to try a new one.

Comments...opinions please!
Michael
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

You may be getting lost in the mix because of either the bass, or the cymbals. In that case, get into a pickup that has good biting highs but without the scooped mids. A distortion, full shred, or even a demon may be the way to go. Surprisingly, the invader is doing just that for me. Plenty of mid grind, so it doesn't get lost. It doesn't cut through, but it fits in so nicely!
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

It's all about mids.

Live mix - bass guitar eats your lows and the cymbals kill your highs. Those things are still important but the midrange is your home. More mids usually = more definition and clarity.

Lots of Duncans are kind of scooped-sounding. I might try the JB, though. That works very well for me.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

the blackouts are pretty clear. Have been recording with the jb and was dissatisfied. It sounds pretty nice though when just play'n through an amp.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Try a PATB-1, that will work pretty well in an alder tele. Fat, huge sound, plenty of clarity....works even better when you roll back the low end of Recto a bit.

...of course the you can't change pups without trying a JB first, but the PATB won't be as bright as the JB
 
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Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

I'm sure someone's gonna kill me by saying this, but...

... dump the boogie.

:eyecrazy:

Just kidding. kinda. I've always thought marshally type amps cut better through a mix. Something with the mids. My Bogner Shiva cutz like MAD, never gets lost.

Why dont you get some AII and AV magnets and swap them out of your custom, and try that first. Cheap alternative.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Yeah, Rectos can be interesting....I don't know how you set yours, but try setting channel 2 to vintage, bold, diodes, and dial the low end back to about 3.5, mids and highs to taste....try that and see what you get. That would be more in the "rock" tone area. Rectos are great amps, if that doesn't get you in the ball park of what you want, get a Stiletto.
 
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Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Alder Tele needs mids... Id say Custom Custom , this pup loves guitar players :)
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Well guys thanks for all your help. I do run the vintage setting on the rect. and it does run el-34s which did help a lot. (Stiletto-ish sound).

Like I said though being a touring musician I cannot be without an amp, and I just don't have the cash to have 2 amps at once. So for now I really need a quick fix...pickups being my only idea.

I have tried the JB...It was an ice pick with a maple board and alder body.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Get an A2 mag and swap it in to the Custom in place of the ceramic. That'll give you the Custom Custom. You need mids. The CC is wonderful in alder planks with maple/maple necks.
 
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Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had an issue with the Custom being unclear. In that output range it doesn’t get much clearer. The CC will certainly cut through the mix and add a healthy dose of mids to a tele, but for aggressive styles of hard rock and metal it’s my opinion that the CC’s bottom end is too spongy. In my experience the Custom is clearer and while its mids are not as strong as those in the CC, the Custom certainly isn’t lacking mids.

Did you try the JB with 250K pots? That’s one of the best ways tame the top end. The same mod, coupled with swapping the allen heads for fillister screws, works wonderfully to tame the top end on the Screamin Demon, which might be another option worth considering, though the JB’s mids will better fill out the mix. The Demon would be the clearer tone of the two, though. I’ve said before that you’d be hard pressed to make the Demon muddy with a bucket of dirt and a gallon of water… it’s that clear. That said, if you aren’t getting the mid presence you need out of the Custom, you probably won’t find it in the Demon, either.

I understand not being able to go without an amp, as well as not being able to afford two, but it is worth noting that if you suspect that your amplifier may be the cause or at least a major contributor to the issues you are having live, then no pickup swap is going to come close to solving your problem. Compared to the amplifier the pickups play a small role in tone. Well, IMO at least.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

A mid-heavy pickup will be the easierst solution. I have found in an alder bodied guitar the DiMarzio Evolution bumps those mids and helps the guitar to sing a bit more.

The Crazy 8 that we just had made as a group would probably be the answer you're looking for. Amazing mid-clarity.
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

MikeS said:
I understand not being able to go without an amp, as well as not being able to afford two, but it is worth noting that if you suspect that your amplifier may be the cause or at least a major contributor to the issues you are having live, then no pickup swap is going to come close to solving your problem. Compared to the amplifier the pickups play a small role in tone. Well, IMO at least.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this one! BUT, it MAY be a cab issue! I have tried various cabs now and realise that they have a HUGE impact.. not JUST sound, but projection, spread and how you cut through the mix. I have tried 2 x 12 and 4 x 12 Recto cabs and could not get what I wanted with either.. now I use an old Orange 4 x 12 with Greenbacks, Cornford 4 x 12 with V30's or my MOngotone 4 x 10 v10's... and they all do the job! I nearly sold my amps 'coz I just got lost in the mix.. every guitar seemed muddy! It may be worth a try?
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

MikeS said:
I’m not sure I’ve ever had an issue with the Custom being unclear. In that output range it doesn’t get much clearer. The CC will certainly cut through the mix and add a healthy dose of mids to a tele, but for aggressive styles of hard rock and metal it’s my opinion that the CC’s bottom end is too spongy. In my experience the Custom is clearer and while its mids are not as strong as those in the CC, the Custom certainly isn’t lacking mids.
Click to expand...

spongy ..mungy... some Rock artist that use the CC are in Iron Maiden, Queensryche,Sevendust,Queens of the Stoneage ,Bad Religion ...oh yeh and me :) The CC Kills for Classic Rock too
ok I love this pup but I only have it in 1 guitar, the fat bottom end can be crushing with the right EQing and amp..... c'mon the dude plays a mesa !
:sword:
 
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Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Hi Mike,
I run your exact rig and just swapped out a Lollar bridge for Duncan Distortion and it works great. I was a bit nervous about it being too hot, ceramic, not cleaning up, etc. It has string to string clarity, cleans up nicely when I back my volume pedal off (another great "never play another gig without it" piece of gear), and it rocks. Check one out.
Mic

http://www.mikepreviti.com
http://www.myspace/mikepreviti.com
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

Okay
Alder needs some low midds ,and some high midds to get heard.
So you have some good choices
Screaming Demon...Not a high-output PU ,but the clarity you are searching for is there
PATB-1 (as binnerscot mentioned) ,is probably the best bet!Beefier sound ,extreme nice harmonics and an allround well definition.Not articulate like the Demon ,but the sound just roars in the mix
PATB-3..This can be your saviour!A tad tamer in output then the PATB-1 ,but a really nice rock sound.But it has more bottom.That's not really what a recto needs tho!
PATB1!!!I know i am biased (i am fan of the voicing ,sustain and design) ,but it screams for it bro!
 
Re: Unhappy with my current dirty tone...Please help.

I loved the Custom, but thought its mids were a bit unclear for recording, so I went with the Full Shred. It has less overall mids, but lower, more grunty mids that aren't "cloudy" for lack of a better word. FS is very clear and articulate, sometimes too much so....
 
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